He asserted there was a large group of civil servants that supported former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra because they had benefited from his administration.

"There are many bureaucrats who still have a good relationship with Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai Party and are still serving the old power clique," Chuan said. "That explains why no arrests have been made after a string of arson attacks on schools.

"It's no surprise that a part of the bureaucracy has a stronger bond with Thaksin than with the Council for National Security," he said.

Chuan encouraged the government to tackle the problem urgently because it had only one year in power. He suggested the government tell the public about the damage done to the country in the five years Thaksin was in power.

"Many people don't know how the country's economy was affected by overspending in the past five years. Values suffered inestimable damage and the rule of law was ignored," Chuan said.

Chuan said Thaksin - who has been in exile since the September 19 coup - had a right to return to Thailand.

On that issue, Thaksin's chief legal counsel Noppadon Pattama yesterday said the ex-premier was in Singapore to meet friends. The visit was not politically motivated.

"Don't forget it isn't Thaksin's nature to stay in one place for a long time. He gets bored easily. He's been banned from entering Thailand, so he has to go elsewhere," Noppadon said.

Meanwhile, Chat Thai Party deputy leader Somsak Prissananan-thakul yesterday called on the government to place no importance on Thaksin's frequent visits to neighbouring countries.